Starting Business on May 31... Expecting Mutual Growth Through Harmony and Cooperation in Charming Seongsu-dong Where Past and Present Coexist
On May 31, Seoul’s Seongdong-gu District Office (Mayor Jung Won-oh) officially opened the first Korean store of the global fashion brand KITH on the red brick street of Seongsu-dong.
This concept store, which combines Asia’s first cafe and brunch bar, features an exterior made entirely of red bricks that capture the unique character of Seongsu-dong.
The reason why the famous overseas brand KITH chose Seongsu-dong for its first Korean store appears to be largely due to the distinctive charm and unique characteristics of the area, achieved through collaborations with various brands and designers.
Seongsu-dong has transformed from a semi-industrial area into a cultural street leading trends, often called the “Brooklyn of Korea,” which is notable since KITH’s headquarters are located in Brooklyn, New York.
Once a district densely packed with aging manufacturing factories, Seongdong-gu has driven sustainable development by promoting urban regeneration projects and policies to prevent gentrification instead of large-scale redevelopment. As a result, old factories and warehouses have been converted into complex cultural facilities and cafes by young artists and entrepreneurs, turning the area into a so-called hot spot.
Additionally, red brick factories, warehouses, and houses built in the 1970s and 1980s are being preserved for their historical and cultural value through the enactment of the “Red Brick Architecture Preservation and Support Ordinance.”
Based on this, from 2018 to 2021, Seongdong-gu implemented a pilot project supporting red brick buildings targeting about 30 buildings around Atelier-gil on the north side of Seoul Forest.
Since last year, the district has additionally designated an approximately 28,000㎡ area around the south side of Ttukseom Station, including the previously designated Atelier-gil area north of Seoul Forest, as a “Red Brick Building Concentration Area.” When constructing or remodeling with red bricks in this area, up to 20 million KRW per project can be supported, covering up to half of the total construction cost.
Thanks to these efforts, Seongsu-dong has grown into an attractive place where the past and present coexist and continues to draw young generations, gaining global attention.
Unicorn company Musinsa has relocated its headquarters to Seongsu-dong and is sequentially opening offline stores nearby. Leading fashion companies that set trends, including Dior Seongsu, Kasina, Ader Error, EMPTY, Amore Seongsu, and Daelim Warehouse Gallery, as well as overseas luxury brands, galleries, and fashion platform companies, are flocking to Seongsu-dong.
This phenomenon, combined with consumer demand for diversity, forms the foundation for revitalizing the local economy.
Industries related to fashion such as clothing, handmade shoes, and beauty, as well as visual design industries including product design, video, and game characters, along with galleries, complex cultural spaces, and art-related services, are evenly distributed across business areas of planning, production, manufacturing, exhibition, and sales, enhancing market diversity.
Moreover, depending on the characteristics of the industry, businesses combining two or more business areas or linking and cooperating across fields, such as furniture concept stores and crowdfunding, are also becoming active.
Furthermore, design industries based locally, such as fashion and handmade shoes, are repeatedly evolving through convergence with IT-related new industries, and the “never boring” industrial ecosystem of Seongsu-dong captivates consumers’ attention.
Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “We welcome KITH, which started in Brooklyn, opening its first Korean store in Seongsu-dong, the ‘Brooklyn of Korea,’ and consider it a very meaningful event. We hope that KITH, famous for its collaborations, will harmonize and cooperate with the charming Seongsu-dong so that more people will visit.”
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